From Learner to Master
by Hunter Stag
Summary: After Lucario's death, Hunter is left to raise the newborn Riolu on his own. But there is someone who wants Riolu for her own purposes, leading Hunter on a chase across the Pokemon world to get Riolu back. Rated T for violence.
1. Riolu

Hunter walked up to his bedroom as storm clouds gathered outside. He looked out a window as lightning flashed. The Riolu in his arms covered its face with its paws and nestled deeper into his embrace. Hunter gently placed the Riolu on the bed, closed the shades, and went into the bathroom to change into his pajamas. When he came out, the Riolu was curled up on top of the bed, fast asleep. Being very careful, so not to wake it, Hunter got into bed and turned out the light. He went to sleep, the Riolu's Aura filling his vision as he dropped off.

A few hours later, but what seemed like minutes, Hunter woke at the touch of a little paw on his face. He opened his eyes to stare into the wide, frightened eyes of the Riolu. It was on his chest, both paws pressing into his shoulders. Hunter cocked his head. "You scared of the storm?"

The Riolu nodded. Hunter rolled his eyes and lifted the bedspread. The Riolu jumped under them, coming up near Hunter and snuggling up against him. Hunter smiled, scratched the Riolu behind the ears, and fell asleep again.

The next morning, the storm had cleared. Hunter took the Riolu outside, showing it both its first glimpse of the world, and a world after a rainstorm.

The Riolu looked around in wonder at the sparkling landscape. The air smelled fresh from the rain, and the Riolu jumped slightly as a droplet of water falling from the roof landed on its nose. Buizel came out the open door to stand beside Hunter. Hunter placed the Riolu down beside Buizel.

The Riolu nervously backed away. Buizel, wanting to get closer to this new Pokémon, followed it. The Riolu pawed at Hunter's leg, trying to get him to pick it up. Hunter knelt in front of the Riolu and pressed into its mind that Buizel wasn't going to hurt it.

The Riolu turned back at Buizel, who was sitting, waiting for the Riolu to do something. The Riolu nervously walked closer to within about a hand span of it.

Buizel kept getting closer until it was right in front of the Riolu. Its black nose twitched, sniffing the newborn before flaring its nostrils, blowing a gust of hot air into the Riolu's face.

The Riolu tumbled onto its bottom. Hunter chuckled and picked the Riolu up. Its stomach growled. Hunter smiled. "I guess you're hungry. We'll all eat then."

He went into the kitchen, Buizel following.

He filled a small bottle, used to feed Buizel when it was an infant, and took the Riolu in his arms as he gently poked the bottle into its mouth. Holding Riolu in one hand, he took a can of Pokémon food in the other and poured it into a bowl that Buizel immediately pounced on. He took a bagel from a cabinet nearby and started munching. The Riolu, in the meantime, guzzled the milk down, removing its mouth once to burp before drinking again. Hunter smiled. After the Riolu was done, he put the bottle in the sink, then took the little one into the living room.

He turned on the news. The Riolu, tired again already, fell asleep with its head pressing against Hunter's chest. He smiled at the little one. Buizel jumped onto the couch, smiling as well.

He gently picked the Riolu up. It woke instantly, looking up at Hunter, puzzled. He smiled at it. "It's okay, little guy. We're just going somewhere."

He went upstairs, changed, then came back down. He snapped his fingers at Buizel and it jumped off of the couch, walking out of the door with the pair.

Hunter started walking towards the Pokémon Center, Buizel trotting faithfully at his side and the Riolu staring from Hunter's arms at the city. Many people looked at the trainer and, more specifically, the Pokémon he carried, but he sensed no malice in any of them.

Eventually they got to the Pokémon Center. It was a nice place inside. A blue carpet stretched wall-to-wall in a waiting room to the right of the tiled check-in room. One wall of the waiting room was made up of windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, about thirty feet up. Outside the windows was a small pool. Chairs and couches dotted both rooms. Hunter walked up to the Nurse Joy in charge. "This Riolu hatched last night. Can you check up on it?"

Nurse Joy smiled. "Of course. Follow me, please."

She led Hunter, still carrying the RIolu, into a small room. Hunter set the Riolu on the table in the center of the room. It was still staring around at all of the unfamiliar scenery.

Nurse Joy walked in, a stethoscope around her neck. The Riolu looked at Hunter, then back at Nurse Joy at Hunter's gentle prodding that the nurse was nice.

Nurse Joy placed the stethoscope to Riolu's chest, both listening to it breathe and checking its heartbeat. She completed the rest of the checkup with a series of nods.

After she finished, she patted the Riolu on the head and turned to Hunter. "Congratulations. It's perfectly healthy."

Hunter smiled back. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."

A few minutes later, Hunter sat in the waiting room, watching Buizel and Riolu tussle playfully with one another. He had his eyes closed when he discovered a strong Aura presence other than his and RIolu's. He turned discreetly to watch a young girl with pink hair and a bandage across her nose turn in three Poké Balls to Nurse Joy. After a short while the nurse handed the balls back and the girl released one of them. The bright flash of light dissipated to reveal a Lucario. The Lucario then straightened and turned, eyeing Hunter as it walked over to him. The girl saw him and smiled. Hunter smiled back as the girl walked over. "Hey, Maylene. How are you?"

Maylene smiled again. "Fine. It's been a while since you've come through Veilstone. How long are you staying?"

"I've settled down, now." He nodded towards Riolu, who was laughing as Buizel licked its face. "He just hatched last night."

Maylene smiled. "Did you find its egg?"

Hunter shook his head. "A friend gave him to me before he hatched."

Maylene's Lucario was staring intently at the RIolu, its eyes darting back to Hunter for a moment before focusing on Riolu again.

Riolu, perturbed by the stare, walked over to Hunter and wrapped its arms around his leg. Hunter picked the little one up and sat him in his lap, scratching its head. "It's okay, Riolu. He's a friend."

He looked at Maylene. "How've you been?"

"Busy, being gym leader."

_That_ came as a shock. "When did you become a gym leader?"

"A few months ago. Lucario and I had the best battle of our lives a few days ago." She looked at Lucario. "Isn't that right?"

Lucario smiled and nodded, giving an affirmative grunt.

Hunter cocked his head. "Who were you up against?"

"A boy from Pallet Town, by the name of Ash Ketchum."

Hunter raised his eyebrows. "I've heard of him. He's supposed to be pretty good. He beat all of the Frontier Brains."

Maylene smiled. "Yeah. He and that Buizel of his actually came to a draw with me and Lucario."

"He _must_ be good then."

Maylene looked slightly ashamed. "I…I wouldn't give him a battle at first."

Hunter looked puzzled. "Why?"

Maylene looked around. "Can we discuss this somewhere private?"

Hunter nodded. "Sure. We can come back to my place."

**Well, here it is! Sequel to "Teacher of the Aura". If you haven't read the first story, go and do it. This one will wait. Anyways, this isn't going to be as long as its predecessor, so just bear with it. And now you know more about Hunter's past. More to come soon! R and R!**


	2. Maylene

Hunter sat a steaming mug down in front of Maylene, holding his own and wrapping his fingers around it. He looked at the rain that had started to fall again soon after they had gotten inside. He sat down on the other side of the table, listening to Buizel play with Riolu on the floor. Lucario was in the living room, meditating. Hunter sighed to himself. _It should have been like this if Lucario had lived._

He looked up at Maylene. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

She looked sheepish again. "I…I lost the will to battle a few weeks ago."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"There was this kid. His name was Paul. He was really good. He beat me and Lucario, and my other Pokémon easy. It wasn't losing that was so bad though. It's what he said afterwards."

Hunter closed his eyes, looking into Maylene's memories discreetly. He saw a boy about Maylene's size, with gray hair and a mean face, smirking and holding the Veilstone gym badge.

_"You're pathetic,_" he was saying. _"The weakest trainer I've ever seen._"

Hunter opened his eyes, keeping them half shut. "He sounds arrogant."

"I didn't even tell you what he said yet."

Hunter resisted the temptation to slap a hand over his mouth. _Shouldn't have said that_. "So…what got you back into battling?"

"Ash had this friend. A girl named Dawn. She offered to battle me. She put up a real fight, too. The moves she used were in a style I wasn't familiar with."

Hunter raised an eyebrow again. "How so?"

"Her moves were like the kind you'd see in a contest. They didn't come at me directly, like people normally do."

"Interesting. So you battled Ash after this?"

She nodded.

Hunter merely nodded back and took a sip of his drink.

The rain cleared up a short while later. Maylene and Lucario said goodbye, and left.

Hunter looked at Riolu and Buizel, still rolling around on the floor. He smiled. An innocence that he no longer had the luxury of possessing.

That night, with Riolu in his arms and Buizel at his heels, Hunter went to bed. As Riolu slept soundly beside him, Hunter stared out the window, his eyes slowly drifting shut.

_Flashes of red and green. Energy balls. Explosions._

Hunter's eyes snapped open. They quickly shut again.

_A shape darting past the moon. It banked, and flew right at him._

Hunter woke again, sitting bolt upright. Upset by the sudden motion, Riolu jerked awake and began to cry.

Hunter gently picked the little one up and rocked it. "Shhh. Shh. It's alright. It was nothing."

He hugged it and played with it until it stopped crying. It sat in his lap, its eyes a bit red and its nose running slightly. Hunter wiped its nose with his finger and patted it on the head. "Go back to sleep. It was nothing."

Riolu sniffled, but went back to sleep. Buizel jumped up on the bed and looked at Hunter. Hunter shook his head. "I don't know, Buizel. But something is coming. Something worse than Dialga and Palkia."

He looked at Riolu. _I don't want him getting mixed up in this. Hopefully this time I'll be able to tackle whatever's coming on my own._

He doubted it. But he had to try.

**Sorry if this is a bit short. I'm not really good on social scenes. Anyways, the action's going to pick up soon, so don't worry!**


	3. Kidnapped

The next morning, after they had all eaten, Hunter picked Riolu up and took it into town. Riolu rode on his shoulders, giggling.

Hunter smiled, keeping the smile on his face as Riolu tugged at his hair.

Hunter walked into a store, taking Riolu off of his shoulders as he did so.

Many people inside stared at the unfamiliar Pokémon Hunter was holding in his arms, but he once again paid them no mind.

Once outside, he walked down the street, showing Riolu more of the sights it didn't get to see the day before.

Then, it happened suddenly. In the middle of a crowded street, Hunter suddenly felt Riolu snatched from his shoulders, followed by shouts of "Sorry! We're really sorry!"

He turned with a murderous glare on his face at the three teenagers that were holding Riolu. _His_ Riolu. The Riolu Lucario had trusted him with.

They froze at his shouting. "Let him go!"

They began shouting back, repeatedly apologizing while slowly backing away.

"I'm sorry! We're really sorry!" one of them, a boy, said.

"I don't care how sorry you are! I'll accept it after you let him go!"

The youths started running, and Hunter pursued them, now not bothering to get out of people's way. He bulldozed through the crowd after the teenagers, always keeping them within his sights. He could see Riolu hanging over the shoulders of one. It was crying, reaching out to him in a plea for safety. For the arms of the one it knew.

He sped up, accidentally knocking over a man reading a newspaper. He didn't apologize. Now wasn't the time.

The teenagers turned down an alley and a flash of light followed by a cloud of smoke blew out into the streets.

People ran screaming. Hunter merely shut his eyes and turned into the alley. The three teenagers were standing there, handing Riolu to someone in a van.

He sped up once more, and managing to tackle one of the teenagers just as someone's Pokémon launched a Smokescreen. With a roar, he and his victim fell to the ground. He grabbed the teenager by the shirt and brought him face-to-face. "Where is he? WHERE'S RIOLU?!"

The teenager was clearly too scared to speak, merely pointing weakly in a certain direction. Hunter ran out of the cloud of smoke just in time to see the van speed up. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "RIOLU!"

His heart shattered as he saw his charge, his surrogate child, his _friend_, trying to break the window. He saw tears streaming from its eyes as a Sneasel grabbed it and dragged it away from the window.

He sank to his knees and buried his head in his hands.

He stayed like that until someone laid a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, kid. Get in the car."

He swatted the officer's hand away. "Don't touch me. I didn't do anything."

The officer sneered, immediately putting himself on Hunter's bad list. "Listen, kid. The only way I see it is that if there's any trouble around here, any kid in the area is a suspect."

He made a strangled "Wha?" as Hunter grabbed his shirt and pulled him in just like he did with the thieves. He readied an Aura Sphere, holding it close to the cop's face. "Listen, cop! My Riolu's been kidnapped! Now unless you want to wake up with your stomach blown out in the morning, you'll get Officer Jenny! NOW!"

The officer nodded, quickly calling Jenny in.

Later, Hunter sat in Officer Jenny's office, anxiously waiting for any word. _I could go after them myself. He's mine. I should save him._

Officer Jenny entered the room. Hunter was immediately in her face, asking questions. "Did you find him? Is he alright? Do you know where the van is?"

Officer Jenny gently pushed him away. "I'm sorry. We found one trace of the van, and canine units are on the case now, but other than that, nothing."

Hunter sighed. "Do they have any idea where it might have been heading?"

She shook her head.

Hunter sighed again. "Thank you for your help, Officer Jenny. But I think I'd have more luck on my own."

She looked like she was about to protest, but decided against it.

Hunter left the police station, then took off down the street. He was out of Veilstone in a few minutes, and sped up to the speed where he was creating a dust cloud. Narrowing his eyes against the wind, he thought to himself. _I'm coming, Riolu. I'm coming, little buddy._

**Sorry again for the shortness of this. But, a chase through a city can only go so long before people start to get bored. Anyways, now the action's picked up. Who can guess who the people were that kidnapped Riolu? Anyone? *Looks around* Nobody? Well, try at least. And no, it's not the teenagers. They were only pawns. R and R!**


	4. Escaped

Riolu lay in the back of the van, its half-open eyes turned to the doors. A Sneasel sat against them, watching it.

Up front, the drivers were conversing with a woman with gray hair and a mean look to her. One of the men spoke. "Mission accomplished, ma'am."

Pokemon Hunter J leaned forward. "You have the Riolu, then?"

The man nodded. "The teenagers we threatened managed to get it away from its trainer long enough to get it to us. The trainer nearly caught us, but we used a smokescreen to get away."

"Good. I'll be waiting at these coordinates. Have the Riolu ready to be frozen as soon as you arrive."

The men nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Riolu heard the exchange. It didn't like the sound of the word "Frozen."

That night, the three men sat in the front seat, sleeping. The Sneasel was sleeping as well, leaning against one of the doors. Riolu looked up, noticing that they had left the sunroof open. It smiled, then jumped onto the backseat and out the sunroof, landing quietly on the roof. It then jumped off the van, and ran into the woods.

It was raining now. Hunter stood under a tree in the rain, staring out at it and waiting for it to stop. He glared up at the sky as if he could make the rain stop by staring.

Eventually, he heard something coming down the road. Walking out to the side of it, he saw a blue-haired young woman riding a motorcycle. She was dressed as a Pokémon Ranger, so Hunter waved to get her attention.

She stopped, staring at him. "Why are you out here in the rain?"

"One of my Pokémon was stolen. I'm trying to find him."

She patted the soaking sidecar seat. "Well, you can't look in the rain. Come on, get in."

Hunter obliged and they drove into the driveway of a small wood cabin in the middle of the forest.

As they sat around a fire listening to the rain pounding on the window, Hunter told the Ranger, who introduced herself as Solana, his plight. He didn't know where Riolu was, he had no idea if he had escaped or not or was already in the hands of a Pokémon Hunter or some other scumbag threat to society and decency.

Solana listened attentively, then walked into the kitchen. Hunter followed her discreetly and got to the door just in time to hear her say "Will do. Solana out."

He was back in his chair before she could set a foot in the room. She sat down again. "Well, you might as well stay here, until the rain stops."

Hunter nodded. "There's no other alternative. But if I have one lead, or if I find out you've been keeping something, I'm leaving. No discussion."

She only nodded.

That night, Hunter lay in the guest bedroom, practically itching to throw the covers off and go tearing off into the still-pouring rain to continue looking for Riolu. He tossed and turned, reliving Lucario's death over and over again in his mind. Every time, it ended with Lucario suddenly waking up and saying, _I trusted you. You failed me. You FAILED!_

Hunter woke the next morning, and throughout the day was groggy, irritable, and inattentive.

**Yeah, he's not taking this well...anyways, Ralyena Starrling, you guessed right! And to those of you that are still trying to guess, now you know! (Except for you, Autumnchronicles. Bet you've never seen any J episodes...**


	5. Mewtwo

Riolu was in the rain as well, huddled under a tree, trying to stay warm. It wanted its parent back. He missed the familiar warmth of his trainer's arms, the feeling of his fingers scratching his ears. Riolu buried his face in his knees, but looked up when he saw a blue light hovering in front of him.

In front of Riolu stood a tall, gray and purple Pokémon with a serious but slightly caring look on its face. It was dressed in a ragged brown cloak.

It spoke in Riolu's mind. _Are you lost, little one?_

Riolu nodded, still thinking of Hunter.

The Pokémon gently picked Riolu up using telekinesis, dropping it into his arms. _Don't worry. You'll be safe with me._

There was a bright flash of light, and they teleported away.

The next morning, Hunter sat in the woods on top of a stump, meditating. Solana, standing at the edge of the clearing, watched him. "What are you doing?"

"Meditating." _And also looking for Riolu, but you don't need to know about that._

He was letting his eyes travel farther than they had ever been. Across the ocean and over another region, which he recognized as Hoenn. He then passed over another ocean to the Johto region. There weren't any Lucarios in those areas, though in Hoenn he saw a very Aura-strong area centered around an enormous tree. _Curious_, he thought.

Finally, he saw something. In an isolated canyon he saw a large mountain. The valley was peaceful, and there wasn't any sign of encroaching urbanization at all. On top of the mountain there was a large lake, in the middle of which was an island. Riolu's Aura was coming from there.

He opened his eyes and jumped up. "Thank you for letting me stay with you, but I know where Riolu is."

Solana opened her mouth as Hunter sped by her, kicking up a large dust cloud as he tore down the road. She closed it, as the teenager was already out of sight.

A few days later, Hunter stood outside a large airport. He had already purchased a ticket and was walking in. Bypassing security due to the fact that he had no luggage, he boarded a flight to the Johto region.

He sat on the plane, fidgeting and sleeping alternately. His worry for Riolu was growing, and he sent a message to it, if it could hear him. _I'm coming, Riolu. I'll be there soon._

Riolu woke on a rock bed inside a large cave. The Pokémon that had rescued him sat on a small stool, its long purple tail twitching as it watched him.

Riolu sat up and eyed his rescuer curiously. The Pokémon reached a paw out to one side and a small pile of berries and fruits floated over to arrange themselves in front of Riolu.

Riolu looked up again.

The strange Pokémon nodded. _Go on, _it said. _Eat. You'll feel better._

Riolu tentatively picked up a Pecha berry and took a bite out of it, then squeaked in surprise as the unfamiliar flavor filled its mouth.

The other Pokémon's lips quirked in a smile.

Riolu looked up at it again, then, with juice staining the fur around its mouth, kept eating until the pile was gone.

His rescuer, satisfied, got up. _What is your name, little one?_

Riolu formed together a memory of his owner saying his name, then clumsily cast it at his rescuer.

_Riolu. Interesting. My name is Mewtwo. And from what I've learned from you so far, you've got a lot to learn that I cannot teach you._

Riolu got up and jumped out of a rock slit, using its instincts to guide it safely down to the ground.

Mewtwo followed it, floating down to the forest that surrounded the island.

He found Riolu punching and kicking at air, its training being fueled by thoughts it had seen in Hunter's mind of what would be required of it.

Mewtwo raised an eyebrow. _If its trainer can put as much care into a Pok__é__mon as he has this one, then I have no right to stop him when he comes to claim it._

**Yeah, Riolu's going to go between "it" and "he" a lot during this story...both of these chapters are pretty short, so I'm posting them together. R and R! I'll update soon!**


	6. Team Rocket

Hunter walked out of the airport, fighting the overwhelming temptation to put on a burst of speed and run as fast as he could to Riolu. Instead he waited until he was well out of sight of the airport, then started running, with his eyes closed. Leaves flew into small whirlwinds in his path and startled bird Pokémon took flight as he sped past their nests.

He kept running, slowing only when there were signs of civilization around, such as roads. He eventually took to jumping through the trees to go faster, but by nightfall he still had much ground to cover. He jumped from a tree into a large stretch of open land by a road, near which lay a Pokémon Center.

The Nurse Joy in charge of the center welcomed him warmly and invited him to enjoy everything the building had to offer. The place actually had private rooms, considering that it was three stories tall. Hunter had a bath and a meal before going to the room Nurse Joy had given him the key to, and sat on the bed, looking out of the window. He then turned to the opposite wall, where a small TV sat. He picked the remote up from its position on the nightstand and flicked the set on.

After flicking through several channels that were mostly either shopping channels or televised battles, he settled, as he often did nowadays, on the news.

The reporter in question was standing in a snow-covered landscape, the burning wreckage of several digging vehicles behind her.

_"In the news today, digging crews here at the arctic region's mining operations were reportedly driven away by an unknown Pok__é__mon, if it was one. The Pok__é__mon in question was described as being green and red, and repeatedly changed shape as the miners attempted to defend themselves with their Pok__é__mon. No casualties have been reported and all of the working miners have been accounted for. The attacking Pok__é__mon's form of assault was described as a kind of energy orb._"

Hunter hurriedly turned the television off. He cursed the lack of pictures, but then again, he hadn't gotten a good enough look at the vision himself.

The next morning after eating an enormous breakfast and returning the key to his room, Hunter walked out of the Pokémon Center and waited until he was in the forest and out of sight of the building before breaking into a hard run. A herd of Stantler burst from the bushes and he ran through them, dodging around a large number of them that didn't want to swerve out of his path. When he was through the herd, he suddenly felt the earth give way under his feet. Jumping out of the way, he let out an angry "For the love of…!" as he landed.

Two people, a man and a woman, appeared out of the bushes with annoyed looks on their faces.

The lady spoke. "Well, there's something you don't see every day."

The man didn't bother with small talk. "Listen kid, we're Team Rocket! Hand over all your Pokémon and we won't have to hurt you."

Hunter kept his face expressionless as he spoke. "It is not me that you should be worried about hurting. You should be more worried about yourselves."

The lady put her hands on her hips and looked at the man. "I think we should introduce ourselves."

"I agree."

They both struck poses and started speaking in turn. The girl started. "To infect the world with devastation!

"To blight all peoples in every nation!"

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

They then struck different poses as they introduced themselves. The lady went first again. "Cassidy!"

"And Butch!"

"Team Rocket, bringing chaos at the speed of light!"

"Surrender to us now, or you'll surely lose the fight!"

A Raticate popped up from between them, screeching.

Hunter stood there, arms folded with one eyebrow lifted. He then shook his head and raised a hand. "I don't have time for this."

An Aura Sphere shot from his hand and hit the trio, catapulting them high into the air.

Cassidy, a stunned look on her face, looked at Butch. "What just happened?"

Butch was just as surprised. "I don't know!"

They both screamed in unison as they flew away. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

They flew on and out of sight, the Raticate making a final screech as they fell beyond even Hunter's sight.

He stood there for another moment. "Well, that was amusing."

He started running again, by nightfall coming to the valley he envisioned. As he ran down the slope towards a bus stop, intending to pass it by completely, he saw a pair of lights surrounding him and turned just in time to be clipped by a large van.

As he fell to the ground, he was barely conscious of two people exiting the van, one gently picking him up and placing him in the back seat, and them driving again before losing consciousness. His last thought while conscious was _I don't have TIME FOR THIS!_

**Lol, Team Rocket fails again. R and R!**


	7. Injury

Mewtwo watched Riolu intently as it punched and kicked at a small rock. The little one was learning by itself quickly, and Mewtwo had no doubt that it would learn a number of new moves upon evolving.

_Don't you think it's time to quit?_ he asked it.

Riolu shrugged and then blushed as a growl came from its stomach. Mewtwo gave a little smile and picked a large number of berries off of a nearby bush, floating them over in front of Riolu. It took a berry and started eating.

As Riolu ate, Mewtwo looked at it. _I sense someone closing on the mountain. It's not the two that are usually here, either. It appears that your trainer has come for you._

Riolu looked up at Mewtwo, a stunned look on its face. It got up and ran to the shore of the island, staring out at the empty gully that was once water. Mewtwo had not taken it below so that its trainer would not find the cloned Pokémon that were still living inside Mount Quena.

Riolu started running again, quickly traversing the distance until it came to a large cliff that looked down on the valley that Mount Quena was situated in. He could see a small cabin that sat by a river, and there was a van parked outside. Riolu closed its eyes, then snapped them open again when it saw a very familiar Aura pattern. Its eyes widened and its mouth quirked in a grin. Its trainer was here. He'd see Hunter again soon.

In the meantime, Hunter was just waking up. He looked around. He was in a room, a log cabin. In a bed. There was a washcloth on his forehead. He blinked again, then closed his eyes. He saw Riolu's Aura, near the edge of the mountain. _He's close. So close, yet so far…_

He looked towards the door as it opened. A woman entered. She sat down beside him and looked him in the eye. "So, how are we feeling?"

Hunter groaned. "What happened?"

"You ran out in front of our van by accident. We managed to get you here safely. You shouldn't be on foot in the valley. The weather here is unpredictable and the only safe way is by bus."

"I have to get to the top of that mountain. I have a Pokémon up there." He started to get up. The woman pushed him gently but firmly back down into the bed.

"Oh, no you don't. You're staying here until you feel better. According to the doctor you have a concussion and two cracked ribs. You won't be moving for at least three days."

Hunter sat bolt upright in bed. "_THREE DAYS? _I can't be here three days! Riolu can't get down the mountain by itself!"

The woman cocked her head to one side. "Riolu? What kind of Pokémon is that?"

Hunter put one hand on the side of her head, and she gasped as images of Riolu flashed through her mind.

After he took his hand away, he realized how much energy something as simple as thought projection took._ Maybe I need this more than I realize._

He looked at the woman again. "What's your name?"

The woman smiled. "I'm Luna. What's yours?"

"Hunter. I'm from the Sinnoh region."

"That's a long way from here, isn't it?"

Hunter nodded. "I've been traveling for days, trying to find a Pokémon of mine that was stolen."

"That Riolu you told me about?"

Hunter nodded again. "It's only a few days old. It was kidnapped and I've been trying to find it ever since. It's here. I can feel it."

Luna looked under the blankets. "Hm. That's odd."

"What?"

"You seem to be healing remarkably fast."

Hunter threw the covers off of the bed. "Can I try walking?"

She stood up and out of his way, and, despite a small pain in his chest, was able to walk with impunity.

He went out onto the deck, feeling the smooth wooden floor under his bare feet. He smelled the air. Fresher than in Sinnoh. He looked at Luna, who had come out onto the deck with him. "Why's the air so clean?"

"It's because of the water. The water here is nice and clean. There are a lot of Bug Pokémon in the area and they're attracted here because of the water."

She lowered a bucket over the railing, then lifted it again. It was full of water from the river running beneath the balcony.

She held it out to him. "Here. Try some of it. It might make you feel better."

Hunter took the bucket and tasted the water. It was excellent, and cleaner than he thought it would be. "Very nice."

He turned his attention away from Luna for a moment to look up at the mountain. _Riolu, I know you can hear me. I'm coming for you. As soon as I'm better, and maybe before that._

Riolu looked down at the people on the deck. It grew eager at the prospect of reunion, but didn't try to go down the mountain by itself. Turning, it ran back towards the island.

Hunter sat in front of his bed, meditating. Luna had rigged a small pulley with a piece of rope that was attached to a bucket. Whenever he got thirsty, Hunter would pull the rope up, raising the bucket filled with water to the window.

Hunter breathed deeply as his gaze traveled back to the Sinnoh region. He saw Maylene and her Lucario standing outside his house, Buizel darting around the yard, its head turning left, then right.

Hunter opened his eyes, then sighed. He should have brought Buizel with him. Should have told Maylene where he was going. His fingers twitched unconsciously, longing to hold the small being that Lucario had trusted him with. His little Riolu. He stood and stared out at the rising moon. The small pain in his chest was almost completely gone, and he felt stronger than he had that morning. Much stronger. _The Aura is strong in this place._

He looked up at the mountain again. By tomorrow, he'd be out of here. Then he would find Riolu.

**One hamper after another, eh? Anyways, story's almost over. Don't worry, there's going to be a fight scene at the end. And a surprise. R and R, please! By the way, I haven't watched Mewtwo Returns in a while, so don't say that there are continuity issues that there aren't any more Pokemon living under Mount Quena.  
**


	8. Healed

The next morning, after Hunter had eaten, he walked to the door of the cabin, fully clothed. "I'm leaving. Thank you for having me, Luna."

She smiled. "You're welcome. Feel free to drop by any time."

He nodded back and then walked out the door. Sliding down the slope he jumped over the river then started walking the short distance to the mountain, drinking in the sounds of nature as he walked. He felt the weight of the backpack Luna had put together for him on his back. It was filled with both Pokémon food and human food for when he found Riolu. Finally, he exited the forest to come face to face with a large rock face.

Turning his face skyward, Hunter saw trees poking over the edge hundreds of feet in the air.

Hunter smiled, then, spotting a large rock about ten feet up, jumped.

He landed perfectly on the outcropping, then began jumping, higher and higher as the wind started to blow.

Riolu took shelter in Mewtwo's dwelling as a storm started to rage outside. Mewtwo sat in a chair in front of a large screen, which flicked through several scenes of the valley before focusing on someone climbing the cliff face like a flea.

Riolu walked over to the screen, its face bathed in the soft blue light. The view zoomed in, and as the human turned his face to shield it from the wind, Riolu recognized him.

"Ri!" it shouted, recognizing Hunter.

Mewtwo looked down at it, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. _That's your trainer, isn't it?_

Riolu nodded, then looked out worriedly at the storm.

On the screen, Hunter cannoned up towards another outcropping twenty feet above the last. As he set down part of the rock face gave way. Mewtwo's eyes widened appreciatively as he front-flipped towards the rock wall. _Impressive_, he thought to himself.

As a large boulder, loosened by the wind, tumbled down the slope, Hunter saw it, raised a hand, and fired a pulse of Aura.

The hillside in front of him exploded, raining debris and rock shards towards his left and right sides, pushed away by an invisible force.

_Most impressive_, Mewtwo remarked.

The human jumped again, never pausing unless it was necessary. Finally, he reached the top of the mountain and entered the forest.

Mewtwo switched the screen off and Riolu finally released its held breath. Mewtwo floated past Riolu, then, picking it up with its powers, deposited it on its bed. _Try to sleep. I'll go to meet him._

Riolu looked at him worriedly, but pulled the vine blanket over itself. After a time, its breathing became easy.

By the time that time came, Mewtwo had teleported away.

Hunter took shelter from the wind in the forest. The trees swayed around him, blown by the fierce weather. He was staring towards the mountain in the center of the lakebed. Riolu was there. He was sure of it.

He felt an Aura approaching before Mewtwo teleported almost directly in front of him.

To his credit, Hunter showed no surprise. He didn't think surprise either. He raised an eyebrow."What kind of Pokémon are you?" he asked, crossing his arms.

_I am Mewtwo. I understand that you lost a Riolu recently?_

"What would you know about that?"

_Riolu is with me. It is safe, and it's waiting for you._

"Will you take me to it?"

_I think it would be best to wait until the morning. Until then, I can give you a place to sleep._

Hunter shrugged. "Fine. But I expect to see Riolu as soon as I wake up."

_I will do everything within my power to make sure that becomes a reality. From your Riolu's memories I've gathered that you are very devoted to it._

Hunter gave a little smile and nod. "You got that right."

Mewtwo placed a paw on Hunter's shoulder. There was a flash of light, and they both disappeared.

**Yep, he's really close. Really, really, _really_ close. There's going to be a nice reunion in the next chapter, and Mewtwo keeps his promise. R and R, please!**


	9. Reunited

Hunter woke the next morning to hear a loud squeal and for something furry and warm to cannon into his chest. He opened his eyes and saw a small blue creature with a black patch of fur that made it look like it was wearing a mask. Almost like…

"Riolu!" he cried joyfully, hugging the little Pokémon hard.

Riolu hugged him as hard as it could, burying its face in its owner's chest.

Standing on the other side of the room, Mewtwo smiled. _I thought that your reunion would be something like this. It has been training hard, waiting for you to come for it._

Hunter cocked his head and then looked down at Riolu. "Is that true, little guy?"

Riolu smiled and nodded.

Mewtwo looked outside suddenly. _The sunrise is beautiful from here. Come. I'll show it to you._

The three went out onto the shore of the island, watching the sun come over the edge of Mount Quena.

As the sun finally cleared the mountain, Mewtwo turned to Hunter, who was holding Riolu in his arms. _This is where I take my leave of you. I hope you and Riolu stay together._

Hunter smiled and nodded to it. "Thank you for taking care of him, Mewtwo."

Mewtwo smiled back. _You are welcome. If you ever have need of me, call with your mind, and I will answer._

There was a bright flash of light, and Mewtwo was gone.

Hunter looked at Riolu. "Ready to go home, buddy?"

Riolu made a happy noise, smiled, and nodded.

Then both were nearly blown away by a strong wind as a large aircraft descended from the sky. Hunter looked up through the dust, unlike Riolu, who had shielded its eyes. "Figures," Hunter muttered.

The ship touched down and a group of people filed down the large loading ramp. In front of the generic henchmen in matching outfits, Pokémon Hunter J stood out quite well. She held out her hand. "There you are, Riolu. You've had us searching for you for a very long time."

Hunter clutched Riolu to him protectively. "You're not stealing Riolu from me again."

J narrowed her eyes. "Listen, kid. If you give us Riolu, we'll leave you alone. Unfortunately, we have a client that wants that Riolu. It's collectible. Not dispensable," she motioned two of her henchmen forward. "Like you."

"Crobat!" both henchmen shouted, throwing Poké Balls and being followed by the other henchmen.

A large number of Crobat appeared from a multitude of flashes, and they all grouped and swarmed at the pair. Hunter hurriedly set Riolu down and then began firing Aura Spheres into the Crobat's midst.

He looked at the Riolu without pausing in his volleys. "Get behind me."

He looked back at the Crobats, now struggling to get around him. He moved his hands with them, blowing more and more of them out of the sky.

One group got smart and split up into three directions, then all used Quick Attack on him at once. Hunter crossed his arms above his head, projecting a shield that the Crobat smashed into and were catapulted back towards their owners. The other Crobat soon followed suit. The leader of the henchmen then came up with a plan. "Crobat, use Double Team!"

All of the Crobat multiplied exponentially, actually partially obscuring the sun. Then they all rushed him again, and though he managed to take down many, they eventually swarmed around him, using Double Edge to cut him, trying to get at his wrists, his face, his eyes, his armpits. He put his arms down then slammed his arm into the ground, sending out a wave of Aura that blew all of the Crobat away. The defeated Pokémon then crumpled to the ground, and Hunter put his hands to his sides. He smirked confidently at J.

She smirked back just as Hunter felt a crushing pressure around his waist, pinning his arms to his sides. He turned his head and saw a Drapion holding him aloft. He narrowed his eyes at it. It responded by squeezing. Hard enough for Hunter to hear several things crack. He looked at Riolu, who was moving away from the Drapion. He then jolted as a shock pulsed through him. Looking back at J, he saw there was an Electabuzz standing beside her. It shocked him again; a much more powerful shock that, in addition to Drapion upping the pressure again, was slowly killing him in a very painful way.

He could still talk though, and he screamed at Riolu as he was simultaneously shocked and squeezed. "GET AWAY! GET OUT OF HERE!"

Riolu began backing away quickly, but J saw it. She tossed another Poké Ball towards it, which then burst open to reveal a Salamence. She nodded to it. Hunter saw the look. "No," he whispered. "Please, don't."

The Salamence shot its foot down, the foot landing on Riolu's back, crushing it into the dust. Riolu struggled to get up, to still try and get away. Salamence pressed harder, and Riolu let out a cry of pain.

"No!" Hunter begged. "Stop it! Take what you want, just let him go!"

J merely gave a sadistic smirk. Salamence pressed even harder, and Riolu screamed.

"Stop it!" Hunter begged, tears now streaming down his face. "Just stop!"

Salamence grasped Riolu with its foot, as if it was going to take it back to its owner. Then, it threw Riolu, causing the small Pokémon to slam into the rock wall behind the fight-cum-torture session.

Riolu crumpled to the ground, limp.

"NO!" Hunter screamed. "Riolu! RIOLU! Wake up, please! Please!" He broke down, sobbing. Tears stained the ground under his dangling feet. He'd failed. _I'm sorry, Lucario. I'm so sorry._

J walked up to him, looking on the crying teenager with scorn. "Weakling."

She slapped him, hard, across the face.

She then turned away, and waved casually to Drapion and Salamence. "Leave the boy. Take the Riolu."

Drapion slammed Hunter roughly into the ground, causing the human to bark with pain.

Riolu's eyes snapped open, and began to glow blue.

It writhed in Salamence's claws until it broke free, then it floated in the air while giving a high-pitched cry that turned into a deep-throated roar as its body was enveloped in white light and it changed shape and size.

The evolving Pokémon came to the ground kneeling, one paw pressing into the ground. When the light faded, a Lucario was standing where Hunter's Riolu had once been. It glared at J and her henchmen. The Electabuzz and Salamence began to move towards it. It raised both of its paws to either side and used Aura Sphere, blowing the two Pokémon away. It then turned its paws on J and her henchmen. It spoke. _Don't. Ever. Touch. My. Master._

Aura Spheres then began to flow from its paws like waterfalls as J and her cohorts ran aboard the ship. It took off, still taking fire from Lucario's Aura Spheres. One struck something vital and the ship wobbled for a crucial moment, but kept flying. Barely, with a stream of smoke flowing from one portion.

The Lucario, breathing heavily, turned to Hunter. It stepped forward hesitantly, then backed up as Hunter got up and walked towards it.

He held out his arms to it and it flinched and closed its eyes, then opened them in surprise again when his trainer hugged him. It blinked, shocked. Then it looked up at him. _Are…are you alright?_

Hunter smiled. "I'm fine." He tightened his hug. "I'm perfectly fine."

He stepped back, holding the Lucario at arm's length. "Very nice. You look perfect."

The Lucario cocked its head. _What do you mean?_

"Just like you're supposed to look."

He started walking, gesturing at the Lucario to join him.

__________________________________________________________

They were an odd sight on the bus, but Hunter didn't care. His charge was back with him, and they were both safe. He then turned to the Lucario, which was in the aisle seat. "You know, I ought to give you a name."

The Lucario jerked, and looked at him. _A name?_

Hunter noticed that the Lucario's voice was noticeably higher than his predecessor. He had probably evolved younger. "Yes. A name. Something to mark you out from the other Lucarios." He reclined for a moment, thinking. He then picked a name he like the sound of. "Taren. That's your name now."

_Taren?_ The newly named Lucario said, puzzled. Then, he smiled. _I like it._

Hunter ran his hand over Taren's head, causing the Lucario to arch his back and raise his head in contentment. "I thought you would."

They arrived back in Veilstone City two days later.

When they walked into the house, Buizel, who was lying on the couch sleeping, got up and fell off the sofa in shock. Hunter raised a hand. "Relax, Buizel. Riolu evolved." He gestured to Taren. "This is Taren. Can you say hi?"

_Bui bui!_ Buizel cried, waving an orange paw at Taren.

Taren smiled and nodded back.

Hunter looked at his charge. "Come on. You're too big to sleep with me now."

Taren gave a little smile and followed his owner up the stairs.

Hunter led him to his old room, and then rubbed the Lucario's cheek before kissing his ears, then his forehead. "Get some rest now. You hardly slept all the way home."

Taren yawned. _I'm perfectly fine, master. I'm just…_ he yawned again.

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Sleep. You need it."

As Taren stubbornly got down on the bed, Hunter gently began to close the door. It didn't make any noise as he whispered to Taren through the steadily closing gap. "Pleasant dreams."

As the door shut, Hunter straightened and whispered two words that were not meant for Taren's ears. "My son."

He walked down the hallway to his own room, Buizel jumping up the stairs to join him as the human flopped down on his own bed fully dressed and fell asleep.

**Second part's wrapped up! Third story's already written and on the way, so you can expect to read "A Student's Trials" sometime soon! Sorry for the delay, by the way. I kind of lost interest in posting this. R and R!**


End file.
